BC’s provincial election campaign may only be days old, but skills training and post-secondary education have quickly emerged as priority issues. Both of the major parties—the BC Liberals and the BC NDP—have released platform information on where they intend to put resources and policy change to work to improve conditions when it comes to skills training as well as trades... Read more

On March 8, we mark International Women's Day. It's a moment of both reflection and solidarity. Yes, what women have been able to achieve in terms of equality needs to be celebrated, but not as a static point. Truthfully, it’s simply one step on a long march to real equality. It's also important to remember that the gains that women... Read more

Since its inception in 2003, the Industry Training Authority (ITA) has been a source of great concern for many. Advanced by BC’s employer lobbyists as a so-called “new model” for trades training and apprenticeships in BC, the ITA began by reversing many of the practices put in place by its predecessor, the Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission (ITAC). For example,... Read more

Next week, over 2,000 delegates will gather in Vancouver for the 55 th Constitutional Convention of the BC Federation of Labour. Like every BC Fed Convention, this one will give union activists the opportunity to debate the critical issues facing the labour movement in BC. As well, it will provide a forum for delegates to assess the work done by... Read more

Premier Clark has spent much of the last year focusing on a jobs strategy. When she first launched that initiative in September of last year, it was difficult to sort out what was truly new in her government’s strategy. In a number of announcements, for example, she was either ribbon-cutting something that was already in place or was pledging support... Read more